Apparatus for heading kafir corn.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

T. H. SPARKS. APPARATUS FOR HEADING KAPIR CORN.

APPLICATION TILED DEC. 24, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l,

INVENTOR W/TNE5- Alfomey No. 855,819. PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907. T. H. SPARKS.

APPARATUS FOR HEADING KAPIR CORN.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24. 1906..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I NVENTOR AI/or/zey THE NDRRIS PETERS co., wAsnma-rom n c I THOMAS H. SPARKS, OF WICHITA,-KANSAS.

APPARATUS FOR HEADING KAFIR CORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application filed December 24, 1906. Serial No. 349.348.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. SPARKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Heading Kafir Corn; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use same, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for heading Kafir corn, and the object in view is to produce a simple and efficient apparatus for this purpose which may be attached and adjustably held upon the side of a wagon box.

More specifically, the invention consists in the provision of a vertically movable shelf or table having a cutting blade horizontally disposed and against which the stalks of corn contact, and in the provision of a lever adapted to raise and lower the table, whereby the latter may be held in different horizontal planes.

My invention consists in various details of construction and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

I illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which :-Figure 1 is a top plan view of my apparatus for heading Kafir corn. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus, showing the same applied to the side of a wagon box. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the cutting blade and the adjustable guide plate mounted adjacent to the cutting edge thereof.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a rack having suitable braces A and upon said rack is a table B having a downwardly projecting flange B. C is a sheet of metal fastened at its out-er edge to the inner marginal edge of said table and is adapted to be bent over the upper edge of the wagon box D, as shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and over which sheet of metal the heads of the stalks pass into the wagon box. The upright portions of said rack, designated by letters E and shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings, are adapted to have vertical movement between the cleats F which are fastened to the side of the wagon box and which retain said uprights in place. G designates an angle bar, the ends of which are pivotally connected at H to said uprights E, and K designates an arm projecting from said angle bar and integral therewith and pivotally connected at K to the angle lever N which latter is mounted upon a pivot N projecting from the side of the wagon box. 0 designates a toothed segment fixed to the box and adapted to receive a pawl O pivotally connected to a rod 0 which is carried by said lever. Mounted upon said table is an adjustable plate Q, the inner longitudinal edge of which is disposed at an inclination thereto, with a Wedge-shaped space intermediate its inner marginal edge and the beveled edge of the cutting plate, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings, and said plate has transverse slots Q, whereby the same may be held by bolts or other suitable fastening means in adjusted positions upon the table. R designates a cutting blade having a beveled edge R and is provided with transverse slots R for the reception of bolts or other fastening means, whereby said blade may be adjustably held upon the parallel angled extension B of the table. A second plate Q is adjustably held upon the plate Q and is adapted to be adjusted relative to the inner longitudinal edge of the plate Q and provided for the purpose of assisting in holding the stalk in an upright position while the head thereof is being severed by said cutting blade. Fixed to the forward end of the ex tension B of said table is a rod T which is adjustably mounted upon said extension and is rearwardly and laterally curved and extends over the table.

S designates a yoke, the ends of which are fastened to the table proper and its extension preferably in diagonal relation, as shown clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and is provided to reinforce and support the forward portion of the extension B of the table.

Fixed in a vertical position to the edge of the table,'slightly in advance of the plate Q, is a plate W, the upper edge of which is convexed and provided for the purpose of preventing heads of corn from again coming into contact with the cutting edge of the blade table and its extension, the apparatus first being adjusted so that the table will be positioned in the right horizontal plane, the stalks entering the space intermediate the beveled cutting blade and the adjacent edge of the plate Q, will draw against the beveled cutting edge and be severed from their stalks, the plate Q serving to hold the stalk while its head is being out. After the head is severed, the curved rod T will serve to throw the head laterally upon the table and the metal sheet fixed thereto, which latter is disposed at an inclination, causing the head to roll ofl into the wagon box.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus for heading Kafir corn comprising, in combination with a wagon box, a vertically adjustable table mounted upon said box, a cutting blade mounted horizontally upon said table, an adjustable guide plate upon the table with its outer longitudinal edge adjacent to said blade, and a second plate mounted upon said guide plate and adapted to be adjusted relatively to the outer edge of the guide plate, as set forth.

2. An apparatus for heading Kafir corn comprising, in combination with a Wagon box having cleats thereon, a rack having uprights movably held between said cleats, an

operating lever, connections between the same and said rack, whereby the latter may be raised and lowered, a table upon said rack having an angled flange, a guide plate upon said table, an extension of said table and a slot intermediate the same and the edge of said plate, a cutting blade mounted upon said extension of the table and adjacent to said. guide plate, and a bar secured to said extension and curved over the table designed to guide the head upon the latter as it is severed from its stalk, as set forth.

3. An apparatus for heading Kafir corn comprising, in combination with a wagonbox having cleats thereon, a rack having uprights movably held between the cleats, an operating lever, connections between the same and said rack, whereby the latter may be raised. and lowered, a table upon said rack having an angled flange, said table having an elongated recess therein open at one end, guide plates adjustably mounted upon said table and having their outer edges adjacent to one of the longitudinal edges of said recess, a cutting blade secured to said table and having its cutting edge positioned adjacent to the outer edges of the guide plates, and a laterally extending curved bar secured to the table and adapted to cause the heads, as they are severed from the stalks, to fall into the wagon-box, as set forth.

4. An apparatus for heading Kafir corn comprising, in combination with. a wagonbox having cleats thereon, a rack having uprights movably held between said cleats, an operating lever, connections between the same and said rack, whereby the latter may be raised and lowered, a table upon said rack having an angled flange, said table having an elongated recess open at one end, guide plates adjustably mounted upon said table and hav ing their outer edges adjacent to one of the longitudinal edges of said recess, a cutting blade secured to the table and having its cutting edge positioned adjacent to the edges of said guide plates, a laterally extending curved bar secured to said table and adapted to cause the heads, as they are severed from the stalks, to fall into the wagonbox, a vertically disposed plate secured to the edge of the table in advance of said guide plates, and

outwardly curved arms projecting from the forward end of the table and its extension, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afflx my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. SPARKS.

Witnesses:

A: L. HoUen, FRANKLIN H. HoUen. 

